Postponed: Umno's 'Top Five' will not meet to discuss GE15 this Saturday, says Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR: The meeting of the top five leaders of Umno to discuss the 15th General Election (GE15) scheduled on Saturday (Sept 17) has been postponed to a date to be announced later, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pic).

The Umno vice-president said this followed an announcement by the Umno secretary-general that the special supreme council meeting, which should have been held on the same day, has also been similarly postponed.

"The Saturday special supreme council meeting should have been held but we got the message that it has been postponed so we will wait for the secretary-general to announce a new date.

"Usually, before the supreme council meeting, there will be a (meeting) of the top five followed by a (meeting) of the political bureau, and after that the supreme council (meeting),” he told reporters after the Malaysia Pavilion Appreciation Ceremony for Expo 2020 Dubai here Wednesday (Sept 14) night.

Earlier, Ismail Sabri, who is also Prime Minister, said the meeting of the top leaders would be held before the tabling of Budget 2023 scheduled for Oct 7.

The top five Umno leaders refer to the president, deputy president and the three vice-presidents of the party.

In this regard, Ismail Sabri stressed the commitment of the government to providing media the freedom to report news accurately and responsibly.

"Political interference? The media has complete freedom so long as the report is accurate and responsible.

"So long as the report is valid, not slander and is responsible, there will be no problem from the legal aspect," he said when asked about allegations of political meddling in a media organisation.

Earlier, certain parties disputed the appointment of Farrah Naz Karim as the New Straits Times (NST) group editor alleging that the appointment was made with political interference. - Bernama